Is Van Gogh Oil Paint Good Quality? Great for Beginners! Review

Last Updated on April 23, 2024 by Masha Eretnova

I had a chance to try very affordable oil paints – Van Gogh and it was my second attempt at oils as an acrylic painter.

I bought a simple set of 6 colors, only the basics and I was excited to test how oils are different from acrylics and how performant cheap oils can be.

I was so satisfied! While it is not the top paint it is a great choice for beginners.

My review

• Colors 5/5
• Consistency and texture 4/5
• Performance 5/5
• Mixing and blending 5/5
• Total score is

A quick note about the brand.

Van Gogh oil paints are owned by Royal Talens which is a student-grade paint brand.

This article contains affiliate links. It means no extra cost for you but a little commission (2-3%) for me to support my hobby and blog. Thank you!

Where to buy:

Both have the same price (just under $19 for the set I have) but painters buy it more often via Blick.

• Amazon
• Blick Art Supplies

Colors

To test a new art supply I always get the basic set of 5(6) or 10(12) colors. This time I did the same and got the introductory set of 6 colors: Azo Yellow Light, Azo Red Medium, Cobalt Blue Ultramarine, Permanent Green Deep, Titanium white, and burnt Umber.

In total the paint line has only 66 colors, not too many compared to some other brands but a decent product range.

Yes, it doesn’t have black color – because firstly, we can always mix it from scratch and secondly, we rarely use exactly black for shading.

I loved each color – they are balanced, perfect combos for mixing new colors, and exactly what you would need to paint the majority of ideas.

This is how all colors look on the palette, freshly squeezed:

I think this set has big tubes as well! Which is amazing and cost-efficient for all beginners.

Colors characteristics – opacity and lightfastness. Most colors in the range have great fade resistance and the paintings made with them will last you, under proper maintenance, for up to 50 years.

• Azo Yellow Light, semi-opaque
• Azo Red Medium, semi-opaque
• Cobalt Blue Ultramarine, semi-transparent
• Permanent Green Deep, semi-opaque
• Titanium white, opaque
• Burnt Umber, semi-transparent

Although many colors are labeled semi-opaque or semi-transparent, the application is quite opaque if you use a well-loaded brush.

If you use the glazing technique it will be more transparent.

Consistency

Van Gogh oils have a buttery consistency, not too thick, and when you squeeze them on the palette you will see some separated oil binder but no lumps at all:

Performance

It is a great pleasure to work with Van Gogh oils – easy to mix on the palette and blend directly on paper/canvas, they dry to such a smooth velvety finish.

Blending and correcting mistakes is super easy – like many oil paints, these dry slowly, allowing you to rework an area.

Mixing is effortless

I use turpentine for thinning and I mixed a lot of colors – it was so satisfying with these Van Gogh oil paints!

I can definitely recommend these paints for painting portraits – super easy to mix skin tones with just primary colors.

Verdict

Van Gogh Oil Paints are great working and practicing oil paints for beginners, painters on a budget, and those who paint as a hobby.

They are not professional paints and can’t compete with artist brands, nor they will be used to teach oil painting in college or courses.

But with this being said, they are still really good and performant for the price. Especially if you’re like me – an acrylic painter who wants to try oil painting. In acrylics, the closest effect is produced by these paints.

Painting still life and landscape is indeed very enjoyable with oils!